Snake repellants...who would have thought

Some months after we first moved in to our property, I mentioned to our friend, Glen, how there was all this netting that was fixed to the lattice work around our house.'That's to stop the snakes' he said matter of factly. I couldn't believe it. Someone had tried to net out snakes that might have sought sanctuary in the cool, darkness under our house. Anyway, we've ripped up all the netting - but are awaiting the invasion of snakes.

Then, I noticed at the pet shop I buy my snake food (ie dead rats) from, that they were selling bottles of 'snake repellant'. Now, the young people who work there include a young woman who keeps pythons herself and a young fellow who is studying environmental science at SCU. 'Surely you don't believe that bottle of stuff will repel snakes', I once asked incredulously. 'Not sure, hadn't really thought about it', came their somewhat sheepish reply. Bottle of snake repellant are no longer stocked.

And then today, in the Brisbane Courier, I notice an ad for a solar powered snake repeller. Apparently it's supposed to send vibrations into the ground and scare the snakes away.

It amazes me how Australians still carry such anxiety around with them, even today. It interested me that the only 'dangerous' animal mentioned during the flooding events in Queensland were 'snakes'. Haven't heard of anyone being bitten by any...